Cast A Spell( It's Called Black Magic)
by zokens
Summary: " When All Is Lost And Love Is Tragic, Cast A Spell It's Called Black Magic


Katara stormed out of her house, sighing to herself in anger. She was stuck on a spell that she found in her mother's old grimoire. She wasn't aware of what it was supposed to do, but as a fledgling witch something should've been able to happen, right? It was nearly Halloween, meaning her powers should be at its peak, yet when she tried the more advanced spells there was nothing. She should be able to do them, right?

She walked down the street with the old leather bounded book tucked under her left arm and her right hand shoved in her jacket pocket. She headed down a small alleyway, and then towards a graveyard. She shoved the gate open, outwardly cringing at the high-pitched creaking metal gate. It needed to be oiled, badly. she turned and closed it behind her, opening the grimoire once again. She walked over to where a lamp was, illuminating a mausoleum. Katara stumbled over a few grave stones as she tried to read the text in the spellbook.

Katara leaned against the door, gasping as it began to slide open. She began to stumble against it, unable to catch her footing. It must've been a fresh burial that wasn't sealed yet. she walked the rest of the way in, then muttered " Incendia," which lit the candles that were placed around. She leaned over one of the plots. This one must've been the person who recently died.

" Zuko Agni" she whispered, glancing at the dates " born July 22nd 1995, died October 27th 2019." He was only 24, which was two years older than she was. She then glanced at a spell in her book and began to chant the spell " Vitas Phasmatis, Ex Salito, Revertas Phasmatis. Ut Vectas, Vitas Phasmatos, Ex Salito.." she repeated these words a few times, then read the next step. She furrowed her brows in confusion, but complied with the instructions. She held her palm out, face up, then grabbed a knife from her pocket and slit a line straight into her skin. She then made her hand into a fist, whispering " Incendia" once more, which set the blood on fire in her palm. It didn't hurt, but it was thrilling to see the affects. She glanced around and sighed. still nothing. Katara shakes her head " stupid for trying" she scolded herself and walked past Zuko's Crypt. Her hand touched the stone, smearing her blood along it. She gasped at the ice-cold sensation and pulled her hand back, grabbing her wrist. " I'm sorry" she mutters, not wanting to insult the recently deceased. She turned back once more and headed out of the mausoleum.

As soon as she stepped back onto the grass she noticed the atmosphere around the graveyard change. There was billows of Gray fog surrounding the entire mausoleum. She lifted her head to the sky, smelling the rain in the air. Last time she checked it was supposed to be clear skies this weekend. Odd. She heard a distant rumble of thunder, followed by a quick crack of lightning, lighting Katara's way once more. She jumped back a bit, then gasped. The lightning struck the mausoleum. The city clock chimed, signalling it was midnight now. It was Halloween.

There was a sickening groaning sound coming from inside. 'What the hell was going on?' She had half of a mind to turn around and sprint. She wanted to run to Gran-Gran and tell her what she had done, but the curiosity got the best of her. She had to find out what that noise was.

" Hello?" She said timidly, perhaps she had disturbed the groundskeeper. No response. Katara laughed shakily. " spirits, I'm losing it"

Something deep inside her was screaming at her to go back in. She had accidentally left the candles ignited anyways and should've put them out. It was suspicious and just poor manners. Gran-Gran would've scolded her for being so rude to the spirits. she walked back into the mausoleum after hyping herself up. Zuko's crypt was cracked and the lid to his coffin was completely off. Her heart leapt in her throat. Did she accidentally raise someone from the dead?

Zuko stood in the corner, staring in amazement at Katara and the candle light.

" you did it.." he whispered

" what is going on?" Katara squeaked out , covering her mouth with her hands. She was in shock as she backed out of the stone building.

" you've resurrected me. You must be the witch they've told me all about" Zuko mused, crossing his arms over his chest. For a dead guy, he sure looked alive.

" who told you about me?" She asked, suddenly getting defensive. Not many mortals knew of the existence of witches.

" the place I went.. uh.. the Spirit World... Someone told me that I would be visiting earth again" he admits

" how did they know?"

" they're spirits. Omnipotent, i guess?" He gave her a boyish grin.

" this is so freaky. I'm gonna go home."

Katara widened her eyes, turning tail once more.

" okay" he began to follow her, feeling a tug in his stomach pull him closer to her.

Katara turned to look at Zuko. He had been following for like a lost puppy for ten minutes now.

" why don't you go home?" Katara sighed, stopping in her tracks

" I can't. "

" why?"

" I'm supposed to be dead, remember?"

" ...right. Uh.. do you not have friends to do spooky things with?" She tried

Zuko squints a bit. " spooky friends? I've only been dead a few days and you expect me to have ' spooky friends? Yeah, no. "

" but you're like a zombie"

" I don't have a craving for brains, so.. I'm not"

" then you're a ghost."

" wrong, again. I'm not transparent " he imitated a buzzer noise. " you're two out of three. One more guess, then you're out!"

Katara gasped and slapped her hands over his mouth " SHHH! If anyone hears you they might freak out! You're not supposed to be alive."

Zuko chuckled. " seriously? It's midnight. No one is around to even see me."

" can't I just stuff you in a closet?"

" you could, but that's abuse"

" I-" she opened her mouth, then closed it. " UGH! Fine, then I guess you're coming home with me, you better be quiet though and not give my grandmother any suspicions. If she finds out a man is in our house she may smack you"

" hah! Will she put me in her cauldron?"

" well if she doesn't, I will." She hissed out

Zuko's eyes widened in fear. " wait, I was joking"

" I wasn't. My gran-gran is a powerful witch. "

" I see" he stroked his chin, continuing to follow her. Katara opened the door to her house, then beckoned him forward, then up a bunch of stairs to her bedroom.

" so what did I do with the spell?" She asked, staring at the book with wide eyes.

" you've connected us with your blood. You did a spell, then touched my crypt with your blood which sealed our fates together. "

" excuse me?"

" for a witch, you really suck at witchy things, can't you read this?" Zuko deadpanned.

" well how do you know what's going on? And I'm only a fledgling, so I'm still learning.." she admitted shyly. She was a late bloomer to come into her magic, but she was working her ass off. She didn't mean to raise the dead, she didn't even think she had the power to do something so.. dangerous.

" I know because I'm dead. Duh." He stuck his tongue out at her. She groaned again at his tone.

" go to sleep Zuko."

" I'll sleep when I'm dead"

" did you just make a joke?"

" did it make you laugh?" He teased, poking her in the space between her ribs. Katara squirmed and glared at him

" no. You're worse than Sokka!"

" who's that? Boyfriend?"

" I'm gonna pretend you didn't refer to my brother as my boyfriend"

" oh. You have a brother?"

" yep. He's 24. Same age as you." She smiled " he's away at college though. "

" why didn't you go?"

Katara sighed sadly. " I wanted to, but I had a duty to my family. I love my family more than anything, I couldn't just abandon them, you know?"

" I get that."

" oh?" She narrowed her eyes a bit.

" I have a little sister, her name is Azula" he said softly. "My father said s he was born lucky, and I was lucky to be born" his hand absentmindedly stroked his scarred face.

" I had an uncle too, his name is Iroh. He basically raised me.. uh.. I didn't have that good of a home life"

Katara froze in realisation. He had been burned, that must've been how he died.

" I'm tired, i hope you don't mind me sleeping for a few hours" Katara blurted, looking at Zuko.

" oh- no, I don't mind" he shakes his head and got off of her bed, sitting cross legged on the floor

" what are you doing?"

" letting you have the bed, I'll stay on the floor"

Katara was surprised at how gentle his tone was with her. He had so much trauma in those Amber eyes. He looked like a sad puppy. It was kind of adorable.

" you don't mind me sleeping?"

Zuko shakes his head. " no, you go ahead. I'll wait here. If I hear any noise I promise I'll hide"

She smiled sleepily at him. " alright. Goodnight, Zuko."

" goodnight...?"

" Katara" she replied, snuggling into her blankets.

" goodnight then, Katara."

Katara woke up at 6 am, cringing a bit.

" Morning, Katara" Zuko greeted as he lifted his head up.

" Morning, do you want to do anything today, since you're in the land of the living once more?"

" Well, maybe we can-" Zuko got cut off when Katara practically flew off her bed. She slammed her hands over his mouth once more, falling so she was straddling him. Zuko's good eyebrow raised so high it nearly disappeared in his hairline. The sound of footsteps began to echo down the hallway, and that's when Zuko realized she was trying to keep him quiet in the moment.

" Katara, what was that noise?" Kanna called out.

"Sorry Gran-Gran! I got my ankle caught on the blanket and I was so entangled in it that when I stood up I face planted." She replied quickly.

There was a moment of silence, before Kanna continued. " okay, are you okay?

Katara's head fell forward a bit as she caught her breath. " yes, I'm fine."

" Do you want breakfast?"

" nope. I promised Suki I'd go with her." Some of her hair tickled Zuko's face as she spoke. He wrinkled his nose, shaking his head a bit at the sensation.

" Sorry" she mouthed to him. He smiled back and nods.

Katara got off of him, ignoring the heat rising to her face. " so... plans for today?"

" We can go out and do whatever, but I have a question"

" Which is?"

" How are you gonna get me out of the house without your grandmother noticing?"

" You have to jump out the window" Katara clarified.

" What?"

" Well, jump. She'll catch you any other way!"

" Thats insane!"

" Yeah, perhaps but you won't die. You're already dead!"

" Touché." He sighed. " alright, when do I jump?"

" I'll tell you. Go to the window, close your eyes"

"..."

" I need to get changed, Zuko. I don't want you to watch me"

" right." He said awkwardly, walking to the window. He turned around, looking outside, listening to Katara shuffling behind him. A few minutes later, she slid on a pair of boots, huffing and jumping around to make sure they were on properly.

" I'm decent now."

He turned and looked at her, smiling shyly. " you look pretty" he complimented

Katara let out a soft snort, then walked passed him. She unlocked the window, then pushed It open just enough for him to squeeze through.

" Jump when I signal to you."

Zuko nodded once more.

Katara ran down the stairs, kissing her grandmother on the cheek. " I'm leaving, Gran-Gran. I'll be back later"

" Goodbye, Katara" she smiled.

She finally went outside, then looked up at the window. " you can jump now"

Zuko took a deep breath and jumped out of the window, rolling. in the process, he overestimated his jump and slammed into Katara. Katara squeaked again, tumbling with him. Their limbs were interlocked and he stared down at her, panting.

" oh come on, first I land on you, and now you land on me?"

" Sorry, I forgot to warn you"

" Get off" she laughed.

He shakes his head, then wiggled free.

Katara began to lead him through the village, smiling. " what did you used to do for fun?" She looked up at Zuko.

" Uh, not much. I did a lot of work, I worked with my dad at our family company." he admits.

" So you didn't have fun?"

" I haven't had a lot of fun since before my mother died"

" Oh." Katara swallowed. She felt a pit form in her stomach. "I'm sorry about that"

" It's okay. She's in the Spirit World with me, I see Her a lot"

" I'm glad you get to see her"

" me too"

They wondered the village for a few hours, sharing a plate of pancakes at one of the local diners, then she sat cross legged in front of him in one of the shacks she used to practice magic. " I want to show you something" she grinned, holding her hand out. She picked up a feather from the floor and then turned to look at him

" What's the feather for?" Zuko tilted his head a bit.

" Magic" she whispered, placing it in Zuko's hand. She then chanted softly under her breath and watched as the feather began to float in the air. Zuko was in awe at her abilities.

" I didn't know you can do that"

Katara shrugged shyly. " it's a simple spell, but I wanted to show you it"

" youre capable of great things, Little Witch. You don't need to sell yourself so short"

Katara blushed, smiling at him." Thank you.."

Katara showed Zuko more spells until it was late in the afternoon. Zuko was by her side and watched her, finding her to be even more magnificent than he thought before. She began to stand up and reached for his hand, entwining their fingers. " come on, were going to have some fun"

" What.."

" Harvest festival" she giggled and pulled him up from the floor. He stared at her but watched as she began leading him down out of the shack and down few streets until they reached the festival. " there's a lot of games and rides, plus delicious sweets we can eat"

Zuko smiled at her. He never expected to find someone who didn't make him feel worthless and invisible." that sounds fun, alright."

She grinned, leading him over to a ring toss game, handing him the rings. " here, try to get them on the bottles."

" Really?"

" Yes!" She nudged him gently, giggling,

" Alright." He shrugged, then threw some of the rings. Katara cheered him on when they landed on the bottles, shocked he was actually good at it."

One of the workers smiled at the pair. " pick a prize for your lovely lady friend"

Zuko and Katara flushed.

" She's not-

" He's not_"

" Oh, of course." The worker mused, winking at Zuko. Zuko coughed once more, trying to ignore the awkward situation.

" what do you want?" Katara asked

" Why don't you pick?"

Katara smiled, then looked up at the various stuffed animals and pointed at one. " that one"

" Oh, a turtleduck? They're one of my favorite animals."

"Really? Mine too. Theyre so cute"

The woman at the booth handed Katara the stuffed turtleduck and smiled politely.

" Thank you" she took the stuffed animal, then slid her hand back into Zuko's. They wondered around and played games and ate plenty of sweet treats until their stomachs ached.

" I bet you miss eating actual food" Katara said softly, tilting her head up towards the sky as the moonlight began to illuminate her face.

" I do. I miss being around people though. The spirits aren't the same, you know?"

" Yeah. I'm really sorry that you died.."

Zuko gently grabbed her wrist. " I'm not. I wouldn't have met you if I wasn't dead" he laughed.

" That was an accident!" She protested

" Maybe it was. Maybe it was fate, Uncle used to be a fan of fate, you would like him."

" Maybe we can see him before it's time to go..?"

Zuko shakes his head. " no, I'm dead. I don't have a place here like I used to. "

Katara's heart ached for him. It must be awful. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose a sibling, or her gran-gran, or even her father. Of course, she lost her mother many years ago, but she didn't remember what that was like since she had been so young.

" will I see you again, Zuko?" Katara asked. It had been 24 hours since she rose him from the dead, they both could feel that their time together was coming to an end.

" next year, Katara. I told you, we're bound now" he smiled. " we're bound by blood. I'll come back every year to see you as long as you're alive and when you pass to the spirit world, I'll be there to greet you and show you the ropes, plus I'll be watching over you from the Spirit World" he chuckled, making his way back towards the graveyard.

" promise?" She asked, feeling her eyes begin to water. She had grown attached to having Zuko around, even if they had only known each other for 24 hours. "

" I promise, Little Witch." he smiled, hugging her gently. The clock would soon chime, signaling it was November, but Katara wasn't ready to part with him just yet. " Kat, you gotta let me go.." he mumbled

" sorry" she whispered, finally letting go of him. She leaned up, standing on her tip toes and placed a soft kiss to his scarred cheek. He touched her face gently, giving her a warm smile. He then handed her the stuffed Turtleduck

" Will you keep this safe for me?" He asked softly.

Katara smiled sadly and nodded. " I promise he'll be in good hands"

" I know he will be, I trust you Katara. I'll miss you" he turned away from her. He began to walk back towards his crypt. The fog was thicker, just like it was when she had accidentally risen him.

" All Is Lost And Love is Tragic, Cast a Spell it's Called Black Magic" Katara chanted sadly to herself as she watched Zuko's form disappear into the fog.

" until next Halloween, Katara" his words whispered in her ear like a soft breeze. Her lip curled into a soft, sad smile. She would have to wait until next Halloween to see him in person again.

" until next Halloween" she murmured. The air around her felt, sad and empty. Like how a graveyard usually felt. She turned away from the gate and headed back to her home. She would be counting the days until Zuko would be coming back. Perhaps she would look up Zuko's uncle and get to know him before next year. Katara wiped a tear from her cheek, pulling her phone out. She typed Zuko's name into the search bar and began to scroll through pages and pages of incident reports. One named stuck out to her in particular. Iroh Agni. She would find Zuko's uncle and learn more about Zuko. She hoped when she saw him next he would be impressed by her magic skills and her new knowledge of him.

Katara walked into her cottage, then looked around for her grandmother.

" Hello, Katara" Gran-Gran greeted softly.

" Hi, Gran-Gran"

" What's got you so upset, little witch?" That nickname made her heart hurt more. She gave her grandmother a small smile, trying to hide her sadness

" I spent time with the spirits at the graveyard tonight. I guess I'm just sad that they're so lonely"

Kanna hugged Katara gently.

" Being a witch is hard work, I understand your sadness" she whispered " why don't you sit down with me and tell me all about him"


End file.
